In my Canadian Pat. No.: 974,919, I disclosed structure in which the intake end of the auger flighting is connected to the main auger flighting by means of a slip clutch so that if an obstruction is engaged within the intake end auger portion, this portion stops thereby preventing damage either to the obstruction, or to the auger assembly. Although grain auger intake ends are shielded, nevertheless when being used under certain circumstances, the shielding interferes with the pick up of grain or other comminuted material so that the shield is often removed from the intake end. It will be appreciated that this will present a danger not only to personnel working near the intake end but also to the auger structure if an obstruction engages within the intake end such as a length of lumber of the like.
The present invention overcomes disadvantages of the structure shown in Canadian Pat. No. 974,919, said disadvantages including lack of control by the operator if it is desired to stop the intake end of the auger assembly from rotating. It may be desirable to stop the intake end for example to empty the auger before removing the auger from the grain bin. Furthermore if the auger becomes overloaded, the intake end cannot be stopped in Canadian Pat. No. 974,919 until the overlaod is cleared.